“MEN in Black: International” will hit Chinese theaters June 14, the same day as the United States, Sony Pictures said recently.

A spinoff sequel to the first three films in the “Men in Black” franchise, it is directed by F. Gary Gray and stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson as new secret agents who fight to protect the Earth from unsavory aliens.

“Men in Black: International” will be the second film in the series to open in China. The third installment, 2012’s “Men in Black 3,” grossed US$77.2 million in China. Though that number now looks modest, the film was a major hit for the time. Retrospectively, users of the top Chinese ticketing platforms Maoyan and Taopiaopiao have given it good scores of 8.3 and 7.7 out of 10.

Tencent Pictures is listed as a co-producer of “Men in Black: International.” The last two Hollywood films the company was involved in that made it to the Chinese big screen were “Bumblebee” and “Venom,” which made US$171 million and US$272 million in China, respectively.(SD-Agencies)